City council puts new life into TIF districts
A state law that allows for extending the life of tax incremental financing districts has been put into action by the Pontiac City Council at its meeting Monday at City Hall.
Mayor Bill Alvey also made a proclamation that declares “Spread the Word Inclusion Respect Week” will be observed in Pontiac.
Also, a presentation regarding CVB certification and tourism was made by Bob Navarro of Heritage Corridor Destinations.
The primary action taken was the approval of the tax incremental financing (TIF) districts' lifespan. There are two districts in Pontiac that were extended for a second time. The original adoption of the TIF districts came at the very end of 1986 and had a lifespan of 23 years.
In 2010, the members of the city council at the time approved an extension of another 12 years, bringing it due at this time. On Monday, the current council voted to make another extension of another 12 years, pushing the lifespan of the TIF districts to 47 years each.
The TIF districts were designed as a way for cities, such as Pontiac, to provide an economic incentive while not creating a burden on property owners. It was to help with development in certain designated areas of a community.
These extensions were approved by a 10-0 vote of the council.
Alvey opened the meeting by reading a proclamation that designated the week of Feb. 27-March 5 as “Spread the Word Inclusion Respect Week” in Pontiac.
“Spread the word to end the word” is a program developed at Pontiac Township High School, led by Laura Baumgardner, that originally was aimed at eliminating the negative connotation of a specific word that denigrated a certain group of students and individuals.
That effort has grown to now include and accept individuals with disabilities as peers through respect and inclusion.
Baumgardner told the council that she has been doing this project for 11 years and that she has been quite thankful for the support the community has provided in the endeavor.
“I look forward to the city carrying on this message of respect for all people,” Baumgardner said.
Among the items approved in the consent agenda was a parade permit for Peers in Action for its 11th annual Run for Respect event. This is a 5K run/walk event that takes place in the area of PTHS. It will be held on April 22.
In the area of tourism, Navarro provided a glimpse of what Heritage Corridor has done in a presentation to the council. Navarro said that his organization covers the tourism destination areas of the I&M Canal (from Chicago to LaSalle-Peru), the Starved Rock area (which includes Princeton, Streator and the LaSalle-Peru region along I-80) and the first 100 miles of Route 66, which covers Chicago to Pontiac.
Navarro mentioned that there was a Route 66 grant of $1.575,488 received by his organization. Some of this money went to getting the two EV stations located at the city hall parking lot put into place.
The council approved 10 other items on the longer-than-usual agenda. Among those were two ordinances that will allow for the Pontiac Fire Department to transport residents from the hospital to Accolade Healthcare and Goldwater Pontiac Nursing Home.
City Administrator Jim Woolford provided information regarding the purchase of radios for the fire department. The city will have a year to complete the purchase.
Woolford also explained the in-car camera purchase for the police department.
The highest ticketed item is the approval of a proposal from Parks and Rec Director Taylor Baxter regarding landscaping and maintenance work at the Rec-Plex. Baxter recommended Midwest Athletic Fields, LLC., to do the work at cost of $123,250.
The project was originally slated for 2022 but circumstances did not allow for it to take place. The work is now expected to take place in Fall 2023.
This article originally appeared on Pontiac Daily Leader: Pontiac City Council puts new life into TIF districts
